1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information display, and more particularly relates to a system and method for managing projector bulb life.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Often a primary objective of information handling systems is the display of information to users as an image. Conventionally information has been displayed with cathode ray tube (CRT) devices that generally direct an electron beam towards phosphors located in a screen to form images of the information for viewing by users. CRT devices typically apply chroma feedback to control electrical drive signals and thus manage the quality of images generated by the impact of electrons on the phosphor screen. However, obtaining high resolution images from CRT displays is difficult and often involves the use of bulky devices with relatively high power consumption. Primarily as a result of the generally large size of CRT devices, consumers have turned to projector devices for the display of information images. Generally, projector devices display information by illuminating an image with high intensity light to present the image on a screen. For instance, digital mirror device (DMD) projectors, also known as digital light processor (DLP) projectors, direct high intensity light at an image generator having a large number of miniature mirrors that selectively direct the light at a screen to form an image. Another example of a projector device is a liquid crystal device (LCD or LCOS) projector that directs high intensity light through a LCD screen having the desired image which is then projected onto a screen.
Projector devices have substantially improved the display of information compared with CRT devices by providing better resolution with larger images so that consumers have turned to projector devices with increased frequency. For instance, graphics projectors initially developed to make presentations with applications running on portable information handling systems have now become a common selection for home theaters that show DVD movies. Similarly, DMD and LCD projectors have become an increasingly common selection for consumer television sets. One difficulty that remains with consumer acceptance of projector display devices is that the projector bulbs typically used in projector devices are expensive ultra high pressure mercury vapor or xenon halogen lamps that have a generally short life span of approximately 1500 hours. Consumers are hesitant to invest in projector display devices for common home entertainment use where the projector display devices require frequent replacement of expensive bulbs. Consumers are also hesitant to invest in projector display devices that have perceived performance problems, such as decreased available brightness as a projector bulb ages. As a bulb ages, the arc gap of the bulb increases so that a greater voltage is required to generate the same level of luminance from the bulb. Eventually, the arc gap increases to a distance that results in reduced brightness to half or less of a bulb's original brightness so that the consumer has to replace the bulb with a new bulb to obtain acceptable brightness performance.